Definitely don’t hear too much soulful Hanukkah music during the holiday season, whereas a variety of Christmas music always seems to be in abundance – so, this is refreshing. Chico Mann invited our lovely gal Alecia Chakour to lend her vocals for the warm and cozy new tune, “Light of Love.” Got us dreaming of candlelight, fireplaces, and hot chocolate on this Thursday afternoon.

Also, for those unfamiliar with Alecia, please get to knowing and be sure to check her out on December 20 for a very special show. The night is going to be killer. Alecia shared with us:

“What makes this night even cooler is that the bands feature allstars from The Royal Family (Soulive, Lettuce), Daptone Records (Dap-Kings, Charles Bradley, Antibalas), David Byrne’s band and TV On the Radio. Basically, 20 of my favorite musicians in one tiny room.”

Indian sitar legend Ravi Shankar passed away yesterday at the age of 92. Heralded for popularizing Indian classical music throughout the world, the three time Grammy winner also taught close friend George Harrison of The Beatles how to play sitar, with whom he also collaborated. He helped make history at the iconic 1969 Woodstock gathering with Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, yet still shunned Western standards of celebrity, stating that he preferred to focus on his music and spirituality.

He leaves behind his wife, and his two daughters sitar player Anoushka Shankar and jazz singer Norah Jones. Shankar played his last show on November 4 in Long Beach, California alongside Anoushka, who often joined him.

His latest album, The Living Room Sessions, Part 1, is currently nominated for a 2013 Grammy Award. Here’s to a true great in music and a life well lived.

We’ve been following the build up to this Jack Davey release for a minute now, which has included a couple of our favorite tracks, “Eye Can See” and “Howl At The Moon.” The electro-soul front woman notoriously ripped stages and hearts with her work as the front woman of J*Davey, and just the same, she evokes powerful emotion in this new lo-fi rock project.

Recorded in the closet of her Los Angeles home, Jack took her creative endeavors entirely into her own hands after giving birth to her first child in 2011. L0-F! D’Lux is the culmination of the previously released sides A and B along with three bonus tracks and a digi-book. Side A included Jack completely solo with her drum machine, self-taught guitar chops, and her voice, while Side B introduced production collaboration from her boyfriend Joey Strat of The Knux.

Consequence today premieres his new track, “When I Woke Up” featuring Estelle on RollingStone.com. The sound takes us back to the good times of radio hip-hop of the late 1990s. Cons goes on to share with Rolling Stone about the track:

“Though adultery is wrong, it usually provides for interesting subject matter. When The Produce Section sent me the track, I knew immediately that I wanted Estelle on it. We cut it while she was in NYC, and it was instant magic.”

The track comes from his upcoming mixtape, Movies On Demand 4. His sophomore album, Start Your Own Business, will be coming soon as well. In the meantime, head over to RollingStone.com to download “When I Woke Up” for free!

Soulful electro-dance band Tortured Soul has just released their new single, “Dirty,” which they tout to be “all about showing your inner freak.” The original track and its live version are both available for free stream and download below.

Also released today are remixes by DJ Spinna, DJ Pepsi, Makoto, and Sir Piers. Transporting “Dirty” to new dimensions, these remixes make sure you experience this song to the fullest degree. The remixes can also be streamed and are available for purchase below.